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Paris—Sales of watches and jewelry rose 30 percent for Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), first-half results released by the company earlier this week show.

Sales of watch and jewelry brands under the LVMH umbrella--which includes TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith watches as well as De Beers Diamond Jewellers stores-- totaled $826.9 million, compared to $635.9 million in the first half of 2010. Profit from recurring operations was up 73 percent.

LVMH said there was “sustained demand” for its watches and jewelry worldwide. Significant first-half events include the opening of watch brand TAG Heuer’s first North American flagship store in Las Vegas in June and LVMH’s acquisition of Italian jewelry brand Bulgari.

According to LVMH, the two companies have obtained the agreement of the relevant authorities for the deal and the LVMH board approved it on June 30, bringing LVMH’s holding in Bulgari to 76 percent.

Total sales for LVMH in the first half of the year reached $14.78 billion, a 13 percent increase year-over-year. Profits were up 22 percent.

“LVMH’s excellent performance in the first half, once again, demonstrates the exceptional appeal of our brands, the attraction of our high-quality, artisanal products and the pertinence of our strategy,” company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault said.

Aside from watches and jewelry, other top performers for the luxury goods conglomerate were selective retailing (sales up 17 percent); fashion and leather goods (up 13 percent) and wines and spirits (up 10 percent). Sales of perfumes and cosmetics rose 5 percent.